Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

On the fifth day of the third lunar month, the first spring thunder rumbled, bringing with it the spring rain that brings life to all things and ringing the bells of Zhongshan Mountain.

Continuous lightning tore through the night, and under the silvery light, countless monsters, spirits, and evil spirits lurking in the darkness of the forest could be discovered without any lights.

"It's the Awakening of Insects again." Suddenly, a pair of ferocious, scarlet eyes lit up in the dark forest.

The ferocious creature slowly emerged from the darkness, revealing its enormous arms, which together stretched over six meters long.

The muscles on it were knotted like hemp rope, and its two fists supporting it on the ground were even more than a meter in diameter.

The Golden Ape King slowly emerged from the darkness, staring intently at the motionless black serpent before him, and questioned, "Zhu, the second Awakening of Insects has arrived."

"The people down the mountain haven't worshipped the snake god for two whole years!"

"If they don't want to worship, then they don't have to," Xuan She replied calmly.

Xuan She's real name is Huai Nian. This year marks the beginning of its thirtieth year since it transmigrated into this world and transformed from a human into a snake.

As the only offspring of the Zhongshan Serpent God, Huai Nian's attitude and decisions will greatly influence the stance of the Zhongshan mythical beasts, evil spirits, and monsters.

"Candle, what did you say!" The Golden Ape King was furious.

A sinister rage flashed across its dark, wrinkled face as it demanded in a deep voice:

"The Serpent Goddess is not only your mother, but also the deity of all living beings on Zhongshan Mountain! Aren't those humans below the mountain living beings of Zhongshan Mountain too?"

"How many times do I have to tell you before you understand..." Huai Nian said, her entangled bodies gradually relaxing.

In thirty years, it has grown from a juvenile snake into a colossal snake that is twelve meters long and nearly one meter wide.

Its body was entirely black, with a faint crimson hue peeking out from beneath its scales and skin.

"Whether the people at the foot of the mountain offer sacrifices or not, my mother doesn't care. She only wishes for peace and tranquility on Zhongshan Mountain, and for all things to flourish."

After saying that, Huai Nian raised his head and stood up, confronting the Golden Ape King head-on.

The snake's eyes, like torches burning brightly, clashed and clashed directly in the air with the Golden Ape King's scarlet eyes, which were filled with a frenzied fighting spirit.

The surging fighting spirit, like a flood, forced all the strange beasts and demons in the mountains to retreat.

The snake and the ape were both monsters who had broken through two of the three realms of body, qi, and spirit. If they were to fight, everything within a ten-zhang radius would be crushed into dust, and they did not want to be caught in the crossfire.

On one side is the Golden Ape King, representing his own thoughts, and on the other side is the Snake God's only offspring.

They couldn't decide whom to help.

"Candle! The humans below the mountain, they have forgotten the gods!" Thunder roared from the Golden Ape King's throat.

The golden lightning that coiled around its entire body intensified in response to its master's anger and fighting spirit.

Occasionally, it would scatter, splitting the soil black and sending it flying, emitting blue smoke that even the heavy rain of the Awakening of Insects couldn't extinguish.

"Golden Ape".

Suddenly, Huai Nian withdrew his momentum.

The black serpent unusually lowered its body, making its eye level lower than that of the Golden Ape King.

Once the atmosphere had eased somewhat, Huai Nian said in a calm tone, "My mother is calling for me."

"Hmm!" Upon hearing this, a muffled and long response came, and two streams of white steam billowed out from the Golden Ape King's nostrils.

Even though its fists were burning with intense heat and its chest was filled with resentment, it was still throbbing with anger.

But the serpent god has summoned it, and it must endure.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you."

Having said that, the Golden Ape King turned and left. The rain that fell on it evaporated, hissing as the water vapor rose.

The place where strange beasts and demons gathered was no more than 150 miles away from where the snake god was.

At the speed of the red serpent, it would only take a quarter and a half to reach the extremely deep valley where it was born.

Where one's own mother resides in this world.

The origins and age of the Snake God's mother are unknown, but she has been living in that valley ever since she conceived Huai Nian.

No matter the wind or rain, the cold moon or the warm sun, they have never left.

In the minds of ordinary creatures such as goats, oxen, and deer, the snake god is part of Zhongshan Mountain.

Therefore, unlike the strange beasts and demons that live far away from this place, they will enter the valley to lick salt, seek caves to avoid the rain, and even give birth beside the snake god.

Because this is the safest place they perceive it to be.

At this moment, the black serpent, carrying turbid rainwater, rushed into the valley like a flood, startling the ordinary creatures that were taking shelter there, causing them to scream and flee.

"Mother!"

"Huai Nian, don't be in such a hurry. You've scared all the animals in the valley away."

As the serpent goddess spoke, she lowered her head, which was more than ten feet wide, and gently placed her serpentine kiss on Huai Nian's mind.

"But even if I sneak over, I'll still scare them away." Huai Nian lowered her head.

"Then think more about why you scared them away. Don't you still have twenty years of life ahead of you? Use your wisdom to think about the reasons."

The Snake God smiled, her gentle eyes filled with encouragement as she looked at Huai Nian before her.

"Mother, why did you call me here?" The giant snake couldn't stand the gaze and felt uneasy, so it had to change the subject.

"Did you have another argument with the Golden Ape?" the Snake God asked.

Looking down her head, one can see that nearly half of the serpent god's body has been assimilated by the mysterious stone.

Legend has it that it was caused by a drought three hundred years ago.

"There was an argument just now, and we almost came to blows," the black snake replied truthfully, bowing its head.

What are your thoughts on this idea?

Hearing her mother's question, Huai Nian already knew the answer in her heart.

In my previous life, I was an orphan who lived for twenty years without any relatives or friends.

In this life, I was reborn as a snake, with a loving and knowledgeable mother, and I spent thirty years struggling in the Zhongshan Forest.

Its perspective on things has gradually changed, and now it is no longer simply a human perspective.

It is not only a snake, but also the only offspring of the snake god before us, and perhaps still retains a trace of humanity.

Huai Nian responded quickly: "It's just a difference of opinion, but it's all for your sake and for the good of Zhongshan."

"But for you, it doesn't matter whether the people down the mountain worship or not."

"Compared to the bloodshed they have over the sacrifices, you would rather they live in peace without worship."

"You don't blame me for not taking care of you for decades, nor for not preparing cultivation resources for you like humans would?"

The serpent god did not reply, but instead asked again.

"I prefer to reap the rewards of my own efforts rather than receiving gifts."

"Besides, I am your son, which is your greatest help."

Huai Nian's heart is as clear as a mirror.

If it weren't for the scent of the snake god on him, he probably would have starved to death and been eaten by birds and beasts as soon as he was reincarnated, given that he was a college student in his previous life who couldn't distinguish between grains and was lazy.

Where did we grow to where we are today?

Gratitude is something it dares not forget, a fundamental aspect of humanity.

Upon hearing this, the Serpent Goddess was overflowing with joy. She stretched out her head again and gently touched Huai Nian with her serpentine kiss.

At her level and age, there is almost nothing that brings her more joy than having her children close to and understanding her.

"Then go and tell the Golden Ape, and the other strange beasts here, that if the people down the mountain don't want to perform the sacrifice, then they shouldn't."

"You can't use brute force; you have to find a way to make them believe in you."

I really like the way you look when you're thinking seriously.